Display pack and packaging assembly

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides a display pack for shipping and displaying a product, the display pack comprising a hollow shell and first and second product supports disposed within the hollow shell. The first product support is disposed in a lower portion of the hollow shell, and the second product support is disposed in an upper portion of the hollow shell, such that the first and second product supports are spaced apart from each other to define a product region between them. Additionally, the first and second product supports each define a product support recess that is sized and configured to conformably receive one end of a product disposed within the product region such that the entire hollow shell is spaced apart from the product. At least a portion of the hollow shell is transparent.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to bulk packaging for shippingand display and more particularly, to a packaging assembly foreconomically and safely shipping and displaying one or more products.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Traditionally, products have been shipped in bulk from a manufacturer toa retailer in cartons containing protective packing material Individualproducts were then from the cartons to be individually placed on a shelfor rack for display. For small, expensive and easily stolen products,the shelf or rack might be located within a secured display case tominimize the risk of theft.

This system of shipping and display is both costly and time consuming.The manufacturer must often pay relatively expensive initial packagingcosts, particularly for items that are easily damaged by rough handling.The retailer must pay employees to individually place each product itemon display in a manner that is both appealing to the customer and safefor the product. Furthermore, for small, expensive and easily stolenproducts, which are kept in display cases, the retailer must pay a salesperson to attend to each customer wishing to inspect the products. Thesecosts are typically passed along to the consumer, who receives littlebenefit from them other than to receive a product that has safelysurvived the rigors of shipping. Accordingly, there is a continuing needfor more economical means of safely and efficiently shipping anddisplaying products for sale.

It is known that small products may be packaged in comparatively largecontainers to deter theft. However, these containers require the use oflarge amounts of retail space, and the containers must be decorated andotherwise configured to appeal to consumers, adding to the total productpackaging cost. Therefore, some manufacturers have used smallerpackaging, with an optional, transparent display pack, such as a blisterpack, available at a retailer's request.

The display pack, which contains the product within its smallerpackaging, typically is significantly larger than the small packaging,providing for increased deterrence of theft. Typically, display packsare configured with an appealing appearance to the customer, and provideadded safety in shipping. Display packs are usually made from twovacuum-formed sheets of clear plastic material, sealed around the edges,forming a chamber for holding the product. Such display packs arerelatively inexpensive, and benefit from the appealing appearance of thesmall packaging, which is visible through the display packs. Forexample, U.S. Design Pat. No. D353,092, to Greer, entitled “BlisterPack,” discloses a transparent display pack assembly having severalcavities for containing products.

Warehouse shopping clubs typically require manufacturers to shipproducts according to strict guidelines that ensure the products areadequately protected during shipment and ready to be displayed on thewarehouse floor. A challenge for manufacturers is in striking anappropriate balance between adequately protecting the products andminimizing the amount of handling necessary to display the products onthe store floor. Internal plastic packaging is preferred because itallows the product to be viewed by consumers. However, such packaging ismore susceptible to damage during shipment and is difficult to displayin bulk form. Consequently, warehouse clubs and manufacturers have along felt need for external packaging that is sufficiently strong toprotect the internal plastic packaging, yet that permits easy handlingand display of the packaged products on the store floor.

It should, therefore, be appreciated that there exists a need for apackaging assembly that overcomes the drawbacks of prior packagingassemblies, as described above, and that includes a display stand and aproduct display pack supported within the display stand. wherein thedisplay stand is sufficiently strong to protect the product displaypack, yet permits easy handling and attractive display of the packagedproduct. The present invention fulfills this need and provides furtherrelated advantages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a display pack for shipping anddisplaying a product, the display pack comprising a hollow shell andfirst and second product supports disposed within the hollow shell. Thefirst product support is disposed in a lower portion of the hollowshell, and the second product support is disposed in an upper portion ofthe hollow shelf, such that the first and second product supports arespaced apart from each other to define a product region between them.Additionally, the first and second product supports each define aproduct support recess that is sized and configured to conformablyreceive one end of a product disposed within the product region suchthat the entire hollow shell is spaced apart from the product. At leasta portion of the hollow shell is transparent.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the hollow shell has acylindrical or polygonal cross-section, and the first and second productsupports preferably have the shape of a frustum. According to additionalembodiments, the hollow shell and the first and second product supportsare transparent. The first and second product supports may also betinted. Additionally, the display pack may farther include an adhesivematerial for adhering the first and second supports to the hollow shell.The display pack may also include end caps, which cap the upper andlower ends of the hollow shell.

According to some embodiments of the invention, the hollow shell mayfurther include a main body portion defining a cylindrical or polygonalshape, and closure flaps that close off the upper and lower ends of themain body portion of the hollow shell. The upper closure flap isconnected to the main body portion by an upper fold line that is locatedat an upper end of the main body portion of the hollow shell, and thelower closure flap is connected to the main body portion by a lower foldline that is located at a lower end of the main body portion of thehollow shell. The upper closure flap can be folded at the upper foldline to close off the upper end of the hollow shell, arid the lowerclosure flap can be folded at the lower fold line to close off the lowerend of the hollow shell.

Another aspect of the present invention involves a packaging assemblyfor shipping and displaying a plurality of products, the packagingassembly comprising a display stand and a plurality of display packs,each display pack configured to hold at least one of the plurality ofproducts. The display stand includes a support panel having a pluralityof apertures, wherein each aperture is configured to receive at leastone of the display packs, a base panel disposed below the first panel,and at least one spacing panel, wherein the spacing panel is configuredto space the support panel in a prescribed position above the basepanel. In addition, the lower portion of each of the display packs isconfigured to be inserted in any one of the plurality of aperturesformed in the support panel such that each so-inserted display packrests on the base panel, and a majority of the display pack is visibleabove the first panel.

Another aspect of the present invention involves a multi-layer stack ofpackaging assemblies for shipping and displaying a plurality ofproducts, the stack comprising a first layer of packaging assemblies anda second layer of packaging assemblies located on top of the first layerof packaging assemblies, wherein each packaging assembly comprises adisplay stand and a plurality of display packs, each display packconfigured to hold at least one of the plurality of products.

Other features and advantages of the present invention should becomeapparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments,taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate,by way of example, the principles of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way ofexample only, with reference to the following drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred multi-layered packagingassembly, in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 2A is a isometric view of a display pack of the preferred packagingassembly, in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 2B is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of thedisplay pack of the packaging assembly, in accordance with theprinciples of the present invention;

FIG. 2C is a perspective view of an alterative embodiment of the displaypack of the packaging assembly, in accordance with the principles of thepresent invention;

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the display pack of FIG. 2A;

FIG. 4A is a perspective view of a support from the display pack, inaccordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 4B is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a supportfrom the display pack, in accordance with the principles of the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

With reference now to the exemplary drawings, and particularly to FIG.1, there is shown a multi-layered packaging assembly 10 for displayingand shipping one or more packaged products 40 in accordance with theprinciples of the invention. Each packaged product 40 is carried withina display pack 30, which, in turn, is supported on a display stand 20.The display stand 20 is configured to support a plurality of displaypacks 30.

The display stand 20 preferably comprises a base panel 23 and a supportpanel 21. The support panel 21 is preferably has a rectangular shapewith four edges. The edges of the support panel 21 are preferably foldeddown to form four spacing panels 24, which are configured to space thesupport panel 21 in a prescribed position above the base panel 23. Thesupport panel 21 further includes a plurality of apertures 22, which areevenly spaced across the support panel 21 and configured to receive atleast one of the display packs 30. Shore particularly, the apertures 22are preferably made slightly larger than the base dimension of thedisplay packs 30, allowing the lower portion of the display packs 30 tofit through the apertures 22 to rest on the base panel 23 below.However, the apertures 22 should be formed with sufficient manufacturingtolerance to allow customers to easily remove the display pack 30 fromthe display stand 20. Additionally, the display stand 20 should bestrong enough to support a significant amount of weight placed on top ofthe packaging assembly 10 in the form of additional stacked packagingassemblies. In this regard, the display stand 20 preferably is made ofcorrugated cardboard to provide adequate strength for stacking layers ofpackaging assemblies 10 on top of one another.

With reference now to FIGS. 2A-C and 3 the display pack 30 of thepreferred packaging assembly 10 of the invention comprises a hollowshell 31, and first and second product support 32, 33 disposed withinthe hollow shell 31. The lower portion of each of the display packs 30is configured to be inserted in any one of the plurality of apertures 22formed in the support panel 21 such that each so-inserted display pack30 rests on the base panel 23 and a majority of the display pack 30 isvisible above the support panel 21.

The hollow shell 31 preferably has a substantially cylindrical orpolygonal cross-section, and it preferably is formed of a transparentplastic material, which is wrapped or folded the hollow shell 31 isformed from a single sheet of plastic material, which is wrapped orfolded to form a hollow cylindrical shell 31 (FIG. 2A), or a hollowrectangular shell 31 (FIGS. 2B and 2C). Since at least a portion of thehollow shell 31 is formed of a transparent plastic material, the product40 is visible to potential buyers through the hollow shell 31. In apreferred embodiment, the entire hollow shell 31 is formed oftransparent plastic material, allowing a customer to view the packagedproduct 40 from all angles.

With reference again to FIGS. 2A-C and 3, the first product support 32is disposed substantially near a lower portion of the hollow shell 31,and the second product support 33 is disposed substantially near anupper portion of the hollow shell 31. Accordingly, the first and secondproduct supports 32, 33 are spaced apart to define a product regionbetween the them. Additionally, the product supports 32, 33 are eachconfigured to include a product support recess 38 that is sized andconfigured to conformably receive a product 40 within the product regionsuch that the entire hollow shell 31 is spaced apart from the product40. Accordingly, the product support recesses 38 are preferably made tohave any shape complementary to the shape of the upper and lower ends ofthe packaged product 40.

With reference now to FIGS. 4A-B, the product supports 32, 33 preferablyhave the shape of a frustum, such as a conical frustum (FIG. 4A) or apyramidal frustum (FIG. 4B). The product supports 32, 33 preferably arevacuum formed into this frustum shape from a single sheet of plasticmaterial, as is well-understood in the art. Additionally, the productsupports 32, 33 are preferably formed of a transparent plastic material,allowing customers to view the packaged product 40 from all angles.Moreover, the product supports 32, 33 may be tinted to provide anadditional attractive flourish for the display pack 30.

With particular reference now to FIG. 3, the display pack 30 may furtherinclude upper and lower end caps 34 a, 34 b. According to thisembodiment, the upper end cap 34 a can be added to close off the upperend of the hollow shell 31, and the lower end cap 34 b can be added toclose off the lower end of the hollow shell 31. If included, the endcaps 34 a, 34 b are preferably formed of a transparent plastic material,allowing a customer to view the packaged product 40 from all angles. Inaddition, the end caps 34 a, 34 b may be tinted, perhaps to match theoptionally tinted product supports 32, 33.

With reference now to FIG. 2C, the hollow shell 31 may include upper andlower closure flaps 35, 36. According to this embodiment, the upperclosure flap 35 projects past an upper fold line 37 that is located atan upper end of the hollow shell 31, and the lower closure flap 36projects past a lower fold line that is located at a lower end of thehollow shell 31. Accordingly, the upper closure flap 35 can be folded atthe upper fold line 37 to close off the upper end of the hollow shell31, and the lower closure flap 36 can be folded at the lower fold line(not shown) to close off the lower end of the hollow shell 31.

According to some embodiments of the invention, the display pack 30 mayfurther comprise adhesive material (not shown) for adhering the productsupports 32, 33 to the hollow shell 31. The adhesive material may alsobe used to adhere the end caps 34 a, 34 b to the hollow shell 31.

The preferred embodiment of the display stand 20, described above,allows for a neat and attractive arrangement of display packs 30, andprevents the display packs 30 from moving laterally across the basepanel 23 during shipping and display. Although a preferred embodiment ofthe display stand 20 has been described, one of skill in the art willappreciate various alternative embodiments that fall within the scope ofthe invention. For example, the display stand 20 might only include thebase panel 23. According to this embodiment, the display packs might bepositioned on the base panel 23 so that they are contiguous with eachother. As such the display packs 30 themselves would provide lateralsupport during shipping and display. Alternatively, the base panel 23might include a plurality of recesses (not shown), configured to receivethe lower portion of the display packs 30, to provide a neat andattractive arrangement of display packs 30, and to prevent the displaypacks 30 from moving laterally across the base panel 23 during shippingand display.

Other alternative embodiments should be apparent. For example, thedisplay stand 20 might include the base panel 20 and the support panel21, as in the preferred embodiment. However, rather than folding theedges of the support panel 21 to form a spacing panel 24, one or moreseparate spacing panels might be used to position the support panel 21in a prescribed position above the base panel 20. Alternatively, thespacing panel 24 might be eliminated altogether, so that the supportpanel 21 is mounted directly on the base panel 23. In addition, althoughthe apertures 22 are shown as circular in FIG. 1, it should beunderstood that they may be configured to have any shape suitable forsupporting the display packs 30.

In an alternative embodiment of the display pack 30, the productsupports 32, 33 might be formed so as to eliminate the need for separateend caps. For example, rather than having the preferred shape of afrustum, the product supports might be substantially flat, with at leastone product support projection (not shown) that is sized and configuredto conformably receive a product within the product region such that theentire hollow shell is spaced apart from the product. According to thisembodiment, the product support projections are preferably made to haveany shape complementary to the shape of the upper and lower ends of thepackaged product.

With reference again to FIG. 1, in the packaging assembly 10, eachpackaged product 40 is positioned within the hollow shell 31 such thatthe entire hollow shell 31 is spaced apart from the product 40, therebyprotecting the product 40 from damage during shipping and handling. Thedisplay packs 30, which are preferably transparent, display the packagedproducts 40 in full view, allowing the aesthetics of the packagedproducts 40 to encourage consumers to purchase them. In this regard, theouter periphery of the entire display stand 20 may be employed todisplay printing such as text or images, or both, associated with thepackaged products 40.

According to the invention, the display pack 30 described herein acts asa theft deterrent because the display pack 20 makes the overall productpackage too large to easily conceal, for example underneath an articleof clothing. Additionally, the display stand 20 gives the packagingassembly 10 added strength to avoid being crushed during shipping andhandling, especially when layers, or tiers, of packaging assemblies 10are stacked on top of one another, as described below. Unlikeconventional blister packs that require a slotted display stand forproper support, the packaging assembly 10 of the invention isself-supporting and may be employed to transport and display much largerproducts 40.

A second layer 12 of assembled packaging assemblies 10 may be stacked ontop of a first layer 11 of assembled packaging assemblies 10 to form amulti-layer stack of packaging assemblies 10. More particularly, thebottom (not shown) of the base panel 23 of the second layer 12 ofassembled packaging assemblies 10 may be configured to rest on the topsof the display packs 30 of the first layer 11 of assembled packagingassemblies 10. Accordingly, the plurality of hollow shells 31, and theproducts 40 themselves, may at least partially support the weight of anyoverlaying layers, or tiers, of packaging assemblies 10. This supportoptionally allows the display stand 20 to be formed of panels 21, 23that are thinner, and thus less costly, than would be required if theoverlaying tiers were to be supported by the display stand 20. Inaddition, the cargo space necessary for shipping the packagingassemblies 10 is significantly reduced when the packaging assemblies 10are stacked in this manner. The multi-layer stack of packagingassemblies 10 may be wrapped in shrink-wrap (not shown) or otherwisecontained during shipment. After shipment, the stack is then unwrappedsuch that the packaging assemblies 10 may be displayed for sale on thestore floor.

As described in detail above, the present invention provides a displaypack 30 for shipping and displaying a product 40, the display pack 30comprising a hollow shell 31 and first and second product supports 32,33 disposed within the hollow shell 31. The first product support 32 isdisposed in a lower portion of the hollow shell 31, and the secondproduct support 33 is disposed in an upper portion of the hollow shell31, such that the first and second product supports 32, 33 are spacedapart from each other to define a product region between them.Additionally, the first and second product supports 32, 33 each define aproduct support recess 38 that is sized and configured to conformablyreceive one end of a product 40 disposed within the product region suchthat the entire hollow shell 31 is spaced apart from the product 40. Atleast a portion of the hollow shell 31 is transparent. The display pack30 protects the packaged product 40 from damage during shipping anddisplay, and preferably allows customers to view the packaged product 40from all angles.

The present invention has been described above in terms of presentlypreferred embodiments so that an understanding of the present inventioncan be conveyed. However, there are other embodiments not specificallydescribed herein for which the present invention is applicable.Therefore, the present invention should not to be seen as limited to theforms shown, which is to be considered illustrative rather thanrestrictive.

1. A display pack for shipping and displaying a product, comprising: ahollow shell; and first and second product supports disposed within thehollow shell, wherein the first product support is disposed in a lowerportion of the hollow shell, and the second product support is disposedin an upper portion of the hollow shell; wherein the first and secondproduct supports are spaced apart from each other to define a productregion between them; wherein the first and second product supports eachdefine a product support recess that is sized and configured toconformably receive one end of a product disposed within the productregion such that the entire hollow shell is spaced apart from theproduct; and wherein at least a portion of the hollow shell istransparent.
 2. The display pack as defined in claim 1, wherein thehollow shell has a cylindrical or polygonal cross-section,
 3. Thedisplay pack as defined in claim 2, wherein the first and second productsupports have the shape of a frustum.
 4. The display pack as defined inclaim 3, wherein the hollow shell and the first and second productsupports are transparent.
 5. The display pack as defined in claim 4,wherein the first and second product supports are tinted.
 6. The displaypack as defined in claim 5, and further comprising an adhesive materialfor adhering the first and second supports to the hollow shelf.
 7. Thedisplay pack as defined in claim 6, and further comprising end caps,which cap the upper and lower ends of the hollow shell.
 8. The displaypack as defined in claim 3, wherein the hollow shell includes: a mainbody portion defining a cylindrical or polygonal shape; an upper closureflap connected to the main body portion by an upper fold line that islocated at an upper end of the main body portion of the hollow shell;and a lower closure flap connected to the main body portion by a lowerfold line that is located at a lower end of the main body portion of thehollow shell; wherein the upper closure flap can be folded at the upperfold line to close off the upper end of the hollow shell; and whereinthe lower closure flap can be folded at the lower fold line to close offthe lower end of the hollow shell.
 9. The display pack as defined inclaim 8, wherein the hollow shell and the first and second productsupports are transparent.
 10. The display pack as defined in claim 9,wherein the first and second product supports are tinted.
 11. Thedisplay pack as defined in claim 10, and further comprising an adhesivematerial for adhering the upper and lower closure flaps to the hollowshell.
 12. A packaging assembly for shipping and displaying a pluralityof products, comprising: a plurality of display packs, each display packconfigured to hold at least one of the plurality of products; and adisplay stand including: a support panel having a plurality ofapertures, wherein each aperture is configured to receive at least oneof the display packs, a base panel disposed below the support panel, andat least one spacing panel, wherein the spacing panel is configured tospace the support panel in a prescribed position above the base panel;wherein each display pack includes: a hollow shell; and first and secondproduct supports disposed within the hollow shell, wherein the firstproduct support is disposed in a lower portion of the hollow shell, andthe second product support is disposed in an upper portion of the hollowshell; wherein the first and second product supports are spaced apartfrom each other to define a product region between them; wherein thefirst and second product supports each define a product support recessthat is sized and configured to conformably receive one end of a productdisposed within the product region such that the entire hollow shell isspaced apart from the product; and wherein at least a portion of thehollow shell is transparent; and wherein the lower portion of each ofthe display packs is configured to be inserted in any one of theplurality of apertures formed in the support panel such that eachso-inserted display pack rests on the base panel, wherein a majority ofthe display pack is visible above the support panel.
 13. The displaypack as defined in claim 12, wherein the hollow shell has a cylindricalor polygonal cross-section.
 14. The display pack as defined in claim 13,wherein the first and second product supports have the shape of afrustum.
 15. The display pack as defined in claim 14, wherein the hollowshell and the first and second product supports are transparent.
 16. Thedisplay pack as defined in claim 15, wherein the first and secondproduct supports are tinted.
 17. The display pack as defined in claim16, and further comprising an adhesive material for adhering the firstand second supports to the hollow shell.
 18. The display pack as definedin claim 16, and further comprising end caps, which cap the upper andlower ends of the hollow shell.
 19. The display pack as defined in claim14, wherein the hollow shell includes: a main body portion defining acylindrical or polygonal shape; an upper closure flap connected to themain body portion by an upper fold line that is located at an upper endof the main body portion of the hollow shell; and a lower closure flapconnected to the main body portion by a lower fold line that is locatedat a lower end of the main body portion of the hollow shell; wherein theupper closure flap can be folded at the upper fold line to close off theupper end of the hollow shell; and wherein the lower closure flap can befolded at the lower fold line to close off the lower end of the hollowshell.
 20. The display pack as defined in claim 19, wherein the hollowshell and the first and second product supports are transparent.
 21. Thedisplay pack as defined in claim 20, wherein the first and secondproduct supports are tinted.
 22. The display pack as defined in claim21, and further comprising an adhesive material for adhering the upperand lower closure flaps to the hollow shell.
 23. A multi-layer stack ofpackaging assemblies for shipping and displaying a plurality ofproducts, the stack comprising: a first layer of assembled packagingassemblies, and a second layer of assembled packaging assemblies locatedon the first layer of assembled packaging assemblies, wherein eachpackaging assembly includes: a plurality of display packs, each displaypack configured to hold at least one of the plurality of products; and adisplay stand including: a support panel having a plurality ofapertures, wherein each aperture is configured to receive at least oneof the display packs, a base panel disposed below the support panel, andat least one spacing panel, wherein the spacing panel is configured tospace the support panel in a prescribed position above the base panel;wherein each display pack includes: a hollow shell; and first and secondproduct supports disposed within the hollow shell, wherein the firstproduct support is disposed in a lower portion of the hollow shell, andthe second product support is disposed in an upper portion of the hollowshell; wherein the first and second product supports are spaced apartfrom each other to define a product region between them. wherein thefirst and second product supports each define a product support recessthat is sized and configured to conformably receive one end of a productdisposed within the product region such that the entire hollow shell isspaced apart from the product; and wherein at least a portion of thehollow shell is transparent; and wherein the lower portion of each ofthe display packs is configured to be inserted in any one of theplurality of apertures formed in the support panel such that eachso-inserted display pack rests on the base panel, wherein a majority ofthe display pack is visible above the support panel.
 24. The multi-layerstack of packaging assemblies as defined in claim 23, wherein the weightof the second layer of assembled packaging assemblies is at leastpartially supported by the hollow shell and the product.
 25. The displaypack as defined in claim 24, wherein the hollow shell has a cylindricalor polygonal cross-section.
 26. The display pack as defined in claim 25,wherein the first and second product supports have the shape of afrustum.
 27. The display pack as defined in claim 26, wherein the hollowshell and the first and second product supports are transparent.
 28. Thedisplay pack as defined in claim 27, wherein the first and secondproduct supports are tinted.
 29. The display pack as defined in claim28, and further comprising an adhesive material for adhering the firstand second supports to the hollow shell
 30. The display pack as definedin claim 29, and further comprising end caps, which cap the upper andlower ends of the hollow shell.
 31. The display pack as defined in claim25, wherein the hollow shell includes: a main body portion defining acylindrical or polygonal shape; an upper closure flap connected to themain body portion by an upper fold line that is located at an upper endof the main body portion of the hollow shell; and a lower closure flapconnected to the main body portion by a lower fold line that is locatedat a lower end of the main body portion of the hollow shell; wherein theupper closure flap can be folded at the upper fold line to close off theupper end of the hollow shell; and wherein the lower closure flap can befolded at the lower fold line to close off the lower end of the hollowshell.
 32. The display pack as defined in claim 31 wherein the hollowshell and the first and second product supports are transparent.
 33. Thedisplay pack as defined in claim 32, wherein the first and secondproduct supports are tinted.
 34. The display pack as defined in claim33, and further comprising an adhesive material for adhering the upperand lower closure flaps to the hollow shell.